Toshiba Aplio 500 Platinum Ultrasound Machine

SKU: MP11618

The Toshiba Aplio 500 was the top model in Toshiba’s flagship Aplio Platinum series. Thanks to the launch of new Aplio i series in 2016, the Toshiba Aplio 500 was dethroned as Toshiba’s premium flagship system. Although the Aplio 500 is not at the top anymore, it is still a great system. The Toshiba Aplio 500 is designed to support a full range of applications and can be used as a general-purpose system or a specialized system, depending on the installed software. The Toshiba Aplio 500 Platinum with Toshiba’s well-known extensive selection of transducers supports a wide range of clinical applications including fetal, abdominal, intra-operative (abdominal), pediatric, small organs, trans-vaginal, trans-rectal, neonatal cephalic, adult cephalic, cardiac (both adult and pediatric), peripheral vascular, transesophageal, and musculo-skeletal (both conventional and superficial).

Apart from the selectable options, the Toshiba Aplio Platinum series supports a total of 47 transducers including sector, convex, 4D volume, linear, micro convex, TEE, and Pencil transducers. Among those 47 transducers, the Toshiba Aplio Platinum series supports about 10 different intra-operative and biopsy enhancement transducers that improve clinical productivity in interventional Radiology.

Review

Toshiba Aplio 500 Platinum Review:

The lineup in the Toshiba Aplio Platinum series all share the system architecture; therefore they all functions in a similar manner to and are intended for the same use. The systems are overall heavier and larger than newer GE and Philips products; however, the Toshiba Aplio Platinum series became stable and reliable due to the last 4 to 5 consecutive upgrades since its initial launch in 2012.

The Toshiba Aplio 500 was positioned and sold as the top flagship model and owned a very good reputations in Radiology with a wide collection of intraoperative transducers, superb fundamental image quality, and outstanding and dedicated premium radiology options such as Smart Fusion, Shear Wave, and Contrast Harmonic Imaging (CHI).

The Toshiba Aplio Platinum series provides a number of clinical tools that proivdes wider clinical utilities and saves scanning time by providing better visualization in a short time. The Superb Micro Vascular Imaging (SMI) is a function that increases physician’s clinical productivity and diagnosis efficiency with better visualization of low-velocity blood flow. The MicroPure function is another tool that increases comfort and confidence of diagnosis by better visualizing small structures such as a small calcification in breast. The Toshiba Aplio Platinum series supports unique linear (PLT-308P) and convex (PVT-350BTP) transducers that improve the needle biopsy procedure by offering the method that a needle can be inserted and visualized in the middle of transducer, not from the edge of a transducer.

The Toshiba products in general look like a technology oriented product, rather than a clinical oriented product. With this series, Toshiba has achieved fully digital beamforming technology, which fully integrated into the Aplio Platinum series. The weight of each Platinum series is still high above 320 lb. The monitor size is 19-inch, which is not compatible with the latest 22 to 23 inches. Although the Toshiba Aplio Platinum owns good quality and reputation in Radiology, they still need to improve in cardiology and OB/GYN’s workflow, automation, and 4D quality, comparing GE or Samsung products to satisfy customers.

• Biopsy Enhancement Auto Mode (BEAM) is a function to provide a clearer visualization of biopsy needles in the live ultrasound image. The function provides three enhancement levels and automatically selects the best scan angle.

• 2D Quick Scan enables to automatically optimize the gain and time gain control in 2D mode.

• 2D Wall Motion Tracking semi-automatically extracts wall motion data from the 2D speckle data of the left ventricular myocardial images to be analyzed, and displays the status of myocardial motion.

• Contrast Harmonic Imaging (CHI) is the function that enhances the visualization of vascular mapping with the second-harmonic wave signals from the microbubbles in the contrast medium.

• Parametric MFI allows temporal information to be displayed as a color map superimposed on the CHI-mode image (Contrast image for the period from the start of contrast medium reaches the target region).

• Luminance is a surface rendering technique that provides a softer, more natural visualization of the human skin resulting in images of photographic impression on quality. The function’s freely movable light source gives the user strong visual feedback on depth and detail. Changing the position of the light can help the user better identify pathological changes and skin defects.

• Fly Thru is the function that enables the user to visualize cavities, ducts and vessels from the inside and in 3D. Comparable to virtual endoscopy, Fly Thru adds cross-sectional ultrasound information to the plain surface data, making it a tool for exploring lesions and ingrowing masses, as well as to assist in planning and follow-up of interventions such as placing stents or grafts.

• Protocol Assistant is a special function that allows for protocols to be created and executed automatically. These protocols can be edited and saves the user time.

• Smart Fusion is the function that allows synchronization of ultrasound scanning with CT/MRI image display. The image is adjusted according to the examination position determined using a magnetic sensor attached to the transducers.

• Smart Navigation is the function that allows a needle navigation line to be superimposed on the ultrasound image based on the positional relationship between the magnetic sensor attached to the transducer and the magnetic sensor attached to the puncture needle.

• MircroPureTM enables to better visualize small structures in 2D mode. This function shows good image quality for visualizing structures like small calcifications in breast.

• Elastography is the function that enables tissue stiffness to be visualized based on the changes in velocity resulting from physical compression and decompression of the target region.

• Shear wave is the function that allows images representing the speed of propagation of tissue replacement (Shear wave speed) to be visualized (Shear wave scan) by locally displacing tissues by transmitting a burst wave with high acoustic pressure.

• Smart Maps is the function that visualizes and quantifies shear wave propagation in a user-defined region of interest in real time. The user can select both dynamic propagation speed and elasticity displays for visual assessment and quantification.

• Panoramic View allows B/W images to be obtained with a wider field of view by moving the transducer in the lateral direction. Measurement using Panoramic View can be performed.

• FLEX-M is the function that allows any desired plane to be set on both the 2D-mode image and the M-mode image. The set plane can also be reconstructed.

•Auto NT is the function that semi-automatically measures the thickness of nuchal translucency between 12 to 14 weeks in the sagittal section.